Team Reeves Ranch

About Us

Located in Mariposa, California, just outside Yosemite National Park, our ranch spans 23 beautiful acres, surrounded by towering pine trees and the tranquility of nature. This peaceful setting allows our dogs to thrive as part of our family. In addition to breeding top-quality Border Collies, we also host meditation and personal growth retreats, incorporating a Zen-based approach to both our lifestyle and our training methods. This philosophy has shaped the temperament of all our animals, including the puppies we raise. [Learn more about Puppy Zen here.]

Our Experience & Philosophy

With over 35 years of experience breeding and competing with horses, cattle, and dogs, we are dedicated to producing Border Collies of exceptional quality. Our dogs are bred for AKC conformation shows, obedience, service work, therapy, and trick training, but above all, they make incredible companions for active families. Many of our dogs have earned AKC Championships and Grand Championships, proving their beauty, structure, and temperament at a national level.

Through our Zen approach to training, we emphasize emotional balance and intelligence, making our puppies highly trainable and adaptable. Our breeding program focuses on low to medium drive Border Collies, ensuring they are well-suited for family life, even for first-time Border Collie owners. While they are active and intelligent, they also know when to settle, making them ideal for homes that enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and running, while still wanting a dog that can relax in a family environment.

Understanding Border Collie Energy Levels

Border Collies vary in their energy and focus levels. Low-drive dogs tend to be calmer with little herding instinct. They are still active but easier to manage in a household setting. Medium-drive dogs are highly trainable, often motivated by food or toys, and have strong focus but also know when to relax. High-drive dogs, on the other hand, require constant mental stimulation and thrive best with livestock work or advanced training in activities like herding, agility, or advanced trick training. These dogs can struggle to settle into a relaxed family atmosphere. Because we focus on lower drive, our dogs make excellent companions for families and individuals looking for a well-balanced, intelligent, and adaptable dog.

Puppy Development & Training

While a puppy’s personality can’t be fully predicted, early experiences and training play a huge role in shaping their temperament. From the moment our puppies are born, they undergo intensive training and socialization using the renowned Puppy Couture neurological training techniques, Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), and our exclusive Zen puppy training approach. This ensures they develop into confident, well-adjusted dogs.

Our puppies receive two weeks of crate training and four weeks of potty training, along with early obedience work, obstacle course exposure, and extensive desensitization exercises. Through Zen training, we teach our puppies how to use their intuition, helping them learn when to be energetic and playful and when to be calm and attentive. This approach encourages them to think before reacting, allowing them to become highly adaptable companions. Our training also emphasizes trust, respect, patience, and structured leadership, creating puppies that are emotionally balanced and easier to train.

The Puppy Journey

We believe that the journey of bringing a new puppy into your home should be a special and memorable experience. From the moment you join our waitlist, you will have access to our Litter Update page, where we share bi-weekly photos and videos of your puppy’s progress. We document every stage of their early development, from planned litter announcements and pregnancy ultrasounds to labor updates, professional puppy photos, playtime sessions, feeding routines, neurodevelopmental exercises, Zen training, vet check-ups, and human-animal socialization sessions. We want you to feel connected to your puppy’s journey long before you bring them home.

Lifetime Support

Our commitment to our puppies and their families does not end at adoption. We offer lifetime support to ensure every dog thrives in their new home. Whether you have training questions, need advice, or face challenges as your puppy grows, we are always available to guide and assist you. Our goal is to create lifelong partnerships with our puppy families and to ensure that every dog we raise has the best possible life. In addition, we will always take back any dog we have raised, at any stage in their life.

All puppies will go home with a licensed veterinary clear health certificate, one year genetic health guarantee, veternarian issued first vaccination, implanted microchip, 4 dewormings, Neopar (second Parvo vaccination), dew claws removed, limited AKC registration application, litter pedigree, health/vaccination record, puppy food, litter scent toy, collar, treats, toys, supplies, a detailed puppy information and training packet.